The Daytime Distribution of Mosquitoes Resting in Vegetation

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Abstract
The daytime distribution of mosquitoes resting in vegetation was investigated at several different localities in southern England. During the day, unfed mosquitoes rested in the shelter of dense vegetation and exhibited a distinctly patchy type of distribution; very few rested in exposed habitats. Distinct preferences were shown by both males and females for some types of vegetation as resting sites. There appeared to be little movement of daytime resting populations unless a suitable bait entered the area or resting sites became exposed to the sun. During the day, resting mosquitoes were attracted to a stationary human-bait from within about 7–10 m. Very few mosquitoes were attracted to human-bait in an exposed area during the day, but at night substantial numbers of hungry females were caught. It is thought that the difficulties usually encountered in locating out-of-door resting populations are partly due to the patchy distribution of mosquitoes and to the small numbers present in most areas in relation to the large areas suitable as resting sites.

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